Lamp supports



July 7, 1959 G. SELIG LAMP SUPPORTS Filed Dec. 30. 1955 31 [nv nzar G'U'A/THEE 8154/6 Azzorneys DAMP SUPPORTS GuentherSelig, Chicago, 111., assignor to Remsel Industries, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December .30, 1955, Serial No. 556,553

1 Claim. c1. 2s7-99 :This invention relates to a foldable support for a photographers floodlight, and more particularly to a latch device adapted to be used therewith.

In certain types of photography, it is advantageous to utilize a support for a plurality of flood lamps for lighting the subject. Such supports are necessarily of elongated. form, having individual sockets for. .the respective lamps. To facilitate handling and transporta: tion of equipment of this kind, itis desirable that the support for the lamps be extendable from a folded condition, and .theprimary object of the. present invention is-.to enablesuch a foldable support to be readily unfolded and latched up to alford the desired floodlighting support.

Specifically, it is the object of the present invention to enable a support of the foregoing kind to be latched by the camming of a dog at one end of a spring detent as an incident to unfolding the support to its fully extended condition, and to be collapsed or folded merely by manually depressing a button on the aforesaid detent to disengage the catch.

Another object of the present invention is an improved manually releasable latch for securing related members together to afliord a unitary body and wherein the latch is efiective as an incident to associating the members.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claim and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which, by way of illustration, shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principle thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and the structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a support embodying the features of the present invention, this support being illustrated in partially unfolded condition;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail perspective on an enlarged scale showing the central portion of the support in its latched or locked condition;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 3A is a fragmentary detail showing the latch parts just prior to operative engagement.

The present invention is illustrated in the drawing as embodied in a support constituting a fixture for photographic flood lamps. The support 10 comprises a pair of complementary foldable arms 11 and 12 which are formed from suitable sheet metal stampings to provide respective housing shells for a pair of right-hand lamp sockets 15 and 16 and a pair of left-hand sockets 18 and 19 together with the necessary wiring. At the back of the support, not shown, are a plug socket and an off-on switch, and a removable bayonet knob 13 provided.

on one of the support arms carries a fuse.

The inner ends of thearms 11 and 12 are hinged to enable folded and unfolded relations to be achieved, and

to this end a U-shape bracket 20 is secured as by rivets R, Fig. 2, to the removable top panelv 21 of the righthand support arm 11. Thus, the bight portion of the bracket 20 is secured to the top panel 21 so that theopposite legs 22 and 23 thereof embrace portions of the side walls of the arm ll at the inner end thereof, and it will be observed that edges of the bracket extend beyond the inner end wall 25 ofthe support arm 11 as shown in Fig. 1. When the two arms 11 and 12 are1fully' extended as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the projecting end portions of the bracket 20 embrace the inner end portion of the arm 12, and this isa latched condition as will be describedin detail below, Thus the bracket or extension part 20 associated with the inner end of the arm 11 is of such size and dimension that when the'anns are latched or extended as shown in Fig. 2, the portions adjacent the inner end of the arm 12 telescope over the corresponding end "portion of the extension part 20 of the arm 12 which neatly nests within theopen end of the extension part 20 as shown in Fig.' 3.

Complementary hinge parts of the usual kind (not 'shown) are attached to the bottom walls of the support arms 11 and 12 at the inner ends thereof, and a hinge pin 28, Fig. 1,-is'associated with thehinge parts thusprovided, this pin 28 being passed through openings provided at the lower ends of the bracket legs 22 and 23.

It is advantageous to extend the wiring for the lamp sockets across the hinge from one support arm to the other. To this end, a coil spring 30, Fig. 1, serving as a conduit for such wiring is extended between the inner end wall 25 of the support arm 11 and the inner end wall 31 of the opposite support arm 12, and this spring is secured in place by suitable washers at the ends thereof within the housings afforded by the arms 11 and 12.

The top wall 32 of the left-hand support arm 12 is readily removable, being secured in place by lugs 33 formed on the side edges of the top wall 32 so as to fit into corresponding depressions 33A formed in the side walls of the support arm 12, so that by pressing slightly inwardly on the side walls of the support wall 12 the top wall 32 may be removed therefrom.

As shown in Fig. 3, a relatively long leaf spring 35 has one end thereof secured by rivets 36 to the underside of the top wall 32 of the left-hand support arm 12, and the opposite end of this spring 35 terminates adjacent an opening 37 formed in the top wall 32 by punching this top wall to afford at the same time a guide 38.

A pawl 40 is secured as by a rivet 41 to the free end of the spring 35 and extends forwardly. The opposite end of the pawl 40 terminates adjacent the end wall 31 and is provided with a dog 42 that projects through an opening in the wall 32.

The bight portion of the bracket 20 is adapted to cooperate with the dog 42. Thus, as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3 the projecting bight portion of the bracket 20 is provided with an opening 45 complementary to the dog 42.

The opening 45 afforded in the bracket 20 is so located as to enable the dog 42 to engage therein when the support is fully extended. Thus, when the support 10 is to be unfolded from its collapsed position shown in Fig. l, the two arms 11 and 12 are rotated on the pin 28 to advance the slot 45 in the bracket 20 toward the dog 42. The dog 42 in its unrealeased position projectsupwardly insufficiently to block the bracket 20 in its: advancing movement, so that the lower face of the leading portion of the bracket 20 engages and slides om Patented July 7, 1959' spring downwardly to a released position as an incident to further bringing the arms 11 and 12 of the support into alignment. Eventually the opening 45 registers with the dog 42 in its depressed or released position, this occurring when the arms 11 and 12 are in their fully extended position, whereupon the spring 35 recovers to repose the dog 42 in the opening 45 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

A button 50 is mounted as by-a screw 51 on the pawl 40 so as to project through the opening 37 in the upper wall 32 of the left hand support 12. To release the latch and unfold the arms 11 and 12, it is merely necessary to depress manually the button 50 to withdraw the dog 42 from the opening 45 in the bracket 20, whereupon the bracket 20 has been freed of its latch;

It will be appreciated that the bracket 20 has been.

utilized in this instance as the means on the arm 11 affording an opening for the dog 42, and another part carried by the arm 11 could be used as well.

Hence, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claim.

I claim:

In a foldahle lamp support of the kind described including a pair of housings each having an upper wall and pivotally related at adjacent inner ends thereof 30 so as to be unfolded to extended position when said inner ends are brought together, a leaf spring secured to the underside of the wall of one of said housings, means connected with said spring and having a. dog projecting through an opening in said wall of said one housing adjacent said inner end thereof, said spring normally disposing the dog outwardly of said opening in an unreleased position, the upper wall of the other of said housings adjacent the inner end thereof including an extension part adapted to embrace at least a portion of the inner end of said one housing, said extension part being provided with an opening therein adapted to receive said dog to latch said housings together in a fully extended condition, said extension part having a lower face forwardly of said opening engaging said dog and camming the dog and spring to released position when said housings are brought together at their inner ends until the opening in said part registers with said dog whereupon the spring recovers to dispose the dog in said opening, and a button connected to the spring and projecting through the upper wall of said one housing and adapted normally to flex the spring to dispose the dog in a released position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 146,727 Turner Ian. 20, 1874 2,389,811 Ozlek Nov. 27, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 290,621 Italy Nov. 24, 1931 924,432 Germany i... Mar. 3, 1955 

